


Gifted

by Charcoalwingsandotherthings



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, BAMF Avengers, F/F, F/M, Flashbacks, Fluff, Howard Stark's A+ Parenting, M/M, Memory Loss, Steve Angst, Team as Family, Tony Angst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-23
Updated: 2019-05-26
Packaged: 2019-08-28 08:55:08
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,722
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16720251
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Charcoalwingsandotherthings/pseuds/Charcoalwingsandotherthings
Summary: Steve's life was just getting back to normal when a call from his past turns it upside down once more. Now he is forced to return to a place he swore he would never go again, where past an present mingle until he feels like he is going to explode from it. He needs to overcome the past in order to ensure a future for the children at his old school, as well as for his team. But he may find it is too much to handle when everyone around him can't remember why he both loves and hates this place, and he can't possibly forget.I kinda suck at summaries but please read me!





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys. So I had a dream that kind of inspired this fic, so here I am. A few clarifications to start:  
> *Gifted individuals are inspired by mutants and X-men but that universe doesn't exist here  
> *Frequently goes back and forth between past and present, past is in italics  
> *There are several schools for the gifted, and it is kind of a secret society/system thing in this universe  
> *I am still pretty new to writing so if i make mistakes let me know. Constructive criticism welcome.  
> *This isn't really compliant to any of the films or comics.  
> Okay that's all I hope ;) If i forgot something and you get confused leave a comment and I'll try to address it in the notes or story. Hope you enjoy!

Steve Rogers came awake to the sound of the phone ringing. It was a distant thing in his still sleep fogged mind, but he managed to pull himself together enough to open his eyes and grope around for the infernal device. He had learned since founding the Avengers that everybody wanted a piece of him, and very few of them had the courtesy of waiting until it was convenient to him. So, he found his phone and didn’t even bother checking to see who it was, assuming it would be just more of the same.

“Hello,” he mutters groggily.

“Hi, Steve.” He sat up straight in bed, his mind immediately waking up at the sound of a voice he hadn’t heard in thirteen years. “It’s Allison Moray, sorry to bother you so late, or really at all after so many years, but I’m afraid this is urgent,” Ally’s smooth British accent says on the other end of the line. Steve was having a hard time hearing her words, his mind still struggling to comprehend the call that was happening. He shook himself out of his stupor. Ally sounded worried, and he knew she wouldn’t contact him unless all other options had been exhausted, so he needed to pull himself together.

“Ally. I…I can’t believe it. I never thought I would hear from you again after what happened. What’s going on?”

“Yes, well the past has a nasty way of coming back to bite you in the ass I’ve found. There is something going on here, children disappearing, and we don’t know how or why. At first, we thought it was just an abnormally high number of runaways, but there have been five in the past month alone, it’s too many too fast. I have a nasty feeling something bigger is at play then just a bunch of kids wanting to drop out and run off.”

“Wait, wait…where is this happening? I haven’t heard anything about five missing children anywhere.” Steve asks the question with an impending sense of dread, he had a feeling where this was taking place, and he had a strong urge to chuck the phone through the wall because of it.

“Wyoming’s Academy for the Gifted. I’m a teacher here now. I know what we both said all those years ago Steven, but this is bad. I know it is, and I can’t trust the administration to handle in a way that benefits these kids. You and I are the only ones who still remember what they did, so I’m asking for your help because there is no one else. These children’s lives may be at stake.” Steve took the confirmation like a punch to the gut. Ally’s voice had a desperation in it he had never heard, and he knew he needed to help her. It was just, going back there, it had never been a part of the plan.

“Ally…I swore the day I graduated I would never go back there. I know what you’re saying, and I want to help, but that place took everything from me. I just started putting myself back together. It took me thirteen damn years not to wake up every night from the memories of what happened there. I don’t know if I’m strong enough to face it again.” Steve hated admitting any sort of weakness, but the academy was the one thing that he would never get over. Or it was at least the catalyst to him losing the one thing he could never get over.

“Like I said Steve, I understand. I lost a lot too, and I hate myself everyday that I stay here, knowing what they allowed to happen. I do it for the kids though, because you and I are it, the only ones who know what they are capable of, or at least the only ones who care. What if this is something of their doing again? I could never forgive myself if I didn’t do everything I could to stop them and help these kids. And I know its been a long time, but you can’t have changed so much that you don’t feel the same.” Allison grew more and more upset the longer she spoke, until at the end it sounded like she was trying not to cry. Hearing that almost broke his resolve, but still he deserved a little time to think over returning to the place that ruined his life.

“Listen, you know I’m probably going to cave, but I need a little bit of time. It’s like two in the morning here. Just let me sleep on it one night, and I will call you tomorrow to let you know for sure. Is this your personal number?” Steve asks.

“Of course, I understand. Yes, you can return my call at this number, I’m done with classes at four tomorrow so anytime after that should work.” Ally sounded just as tired as Steve felt, but the crying seemed to have subsided.

“Ok, I’ll call you tomorrow Ally. Thanks for understanding. I just….” Steve trailed off, not knowing how to continue.

“No need to explain Steve, you know I understand. I’ll talk to you tomorrow then. It was good to hear your voice, even if it is bittersweet.” Steve closed his eyes and let himself remember how much he had once loved Ally. She had been one of his best friends, and while her memory was forever entwined with the misery he had gone through, he did miss her.

“You too Ally, I’m sorry I let this drive us apart.” He says sincerely.

“Steve none of this was your fault, we were driven apart by circumstance, not by anything you did. Now get some rest, I think we both deserve it. Sorry to drag up this whole mess again, but I felt I had no choice.”

“I understand. Goodnight Allison.” Steve murmurs before pressing the button to end the call.  
\-------------------  
 _"Hey guys, this is Ally. She’s new here so I figured we could show her the ropes a little. Always sucks to be the new kid.” Tony Stark says as he sets his lunch down at their groups usual table. Steve gives the newcomer a warm smile, noticing how awkward she seemed to feel at the somewhat flippant introduction. He had known Tony a long time, and he didn’t mean anything by it, but he could come off a little brash at times. Ally was a petite little blonde, with wavy hair that fell just past her shoulders, and electric blue eyes. She was pretty, he would have to remember to warn her about Bucky if she decided to hang around._

_“Hi, Ally. I’m Steve. Really nice to meet you. The others here are Bucky, Peggy, Clint, Natasha, Bruce, and Thor. And, of course Tony, but I’m hoping he at least remembered to introduce himself before he dragged you over here.” Steve points to each of his friends as he makes introductions, ending with Tony who had taken his normal seat right beside Steve. Everyone mutters a little hello or gives a little wave of acknowledgement._

_“No, not so much. I barely even had time to grab my food before I was being whisked away by a mystery boy. But it’s lovely to meet you all, it would be great to have someone to show me how things work around here. Your welcome to call me either Allison or Ally.” Ally says in a British accent and gives them a small smile as she sits down in the only empty chair left. Steve shoots Tony a glare, he has told him a hundred times he has to use his words when meeting new people. Not everybody found kidnapping as charming as Steve. Tony just shrugged like always, unashamed of his behavior. Steve can’t help a fond eye roll, even as he keeps the glare in place for a little longer._

_“Geez, ok Steve I get it just stop with the disappointed glare. It’s literally the worst thing in the world. Makes me want to go adopt an injured puppy or help an old lady across the street, anything to make it stop.” Tony sulks into his lunch, mac and cheese today._

_“No need for that, just listen to me for once and stop kidnapping people without even telling them your name first. Not very many people take that as a good first impression.” Steve scolds, even though he knows it’s a lost cause._

_“It got me you didn’t it. Don’t much care if it works on anyone else, I already won the jackpot.” Steve blushes a little at that, but he must agree. No matter the circumstances, meeting Tony was the best thing that had ever happened to him. Even before they had started dating, since the day they met Steve’s whole world has revolved around Tony Stark. He wouldn’t want it any other way either._

_“Ugh ignore the two lovebirds. They get lost in their own little world every five minutes, it’s disgusting, but you get used to it. And by the way Stark, you were five when you met Steve, so its not really a good thing that your manners haven’t improved at all in ten years.” Bucky chimes in, bringing Steve out of his lovesick stupor. He just blushes deeper and looks down, embarrassed at being called out in front of a stranger._

_“Don’t worry about it, and by the way I did actually find it a bit charming. Kidnapping me in the name of making me feel included is rather sweet. And, it is so worth watching you get lost in each other to see the adorable blush it elicits in this one.” Ally smirks, gesturing towards Steve._

_“No, hiss, my Steve. You can’t be our friend if you can’t respect the rules. Rule number one, mine.” Tony says, pointing at Steve. Steve kind of wishes the floor would swallow him up. “Rule number two, nobody gets to touch or call him adorable or pretty or any other outrageously true compliment besides me, Capiche.”_

_Ally throws her hands up in mock surrender. “Okay, okay. No complimenting your man. I must say though it will be hard not to stare considering he is six foot two at least and solid muscle. How old are you anyway Steve?” Ally asks, as if this conversation wasn’t totally humiliating for him, luckily Tony answers, as he isn’t sure he could make his voice work right now._

_“Fifteen, same age as we are. One of his gifts is super strength. He could already lift three hundred pounds when I met him. Now, he can go 2,000 easy. They won’t let him lift over a ton yet, just in case he hurts himself, but by the time he hits eighteen he is going to be benching buses.” Tony’s voice is bursting with pride like it always is when he talks about his boyfriend’s gifts. Even though in the grand scheme his own gifts were far more impressive._

_“OOOOO, very nice indeed. What are your gifts.” Allison asks the table. Tony once again takes it upon himself to be the groups mouthpiece._

_“Steve also has super speed and heightened senses, as well as an advanced healing ability, and he can resist mind control. Bucky there has minor control over technology as well as having a cybernetic arm that gives him advanced strength and fire power. Peggy can persuade people into doing her bidding with just the power of her voice, don’t worry she doesn’t use it on her friends…usually. Natasha can become invisible, as well as having the ability to dematerialize places and walk through solid objects. Clint has superior eyesight as well as being able to fly, hence the giant wings. Bruce turns into a giant green rage monster. And Thor can create storms, though he mostly just prefers to play with lightning.” Tony doesn’t miss a beat, calmly explaining each of their gifts to the newcomer. Thor looks slightly insulted at the insinuation that he ‘plays’ with lightning, and Clint’s grey feathers ruffle up a little, Peggy just smirks when he gets to her, Natasha stays stone-faced as always, and Bruce just kind of sinks down in his chair. The Hulk was a bit of a sore spot for him, though he was getting better the more he opened up to them._

_“Very impressive. I can just create tiny rifts in space time. Send a pencil thirty seconds into the past, accelerate particles enough to keep my feet warm. Nothing to write home about. Though I can resist mind control as well.” She winks at Steve on that one. He thinks they are going to be good friends, her cheeky humor will fit right in. “What about you Tony?” She asks._

_“What about me?” Tony feigns ignorance._

_“What are your abilities?” She clarifies._

_“I’m a shapeshifter mostly, my other form is a Siberian tiger. I also have some telepathic and telekinetic abilities. I can manipulate space time too actually, although I’ve only ever done that once or twice. I can mimic voices, but I can’t shift into other people, and I have some control over machines like Bucky.” He says it nonchalantly, but all his friends stare knowingly. It’s incredibly rare to have so many abilities, Tony is amazing, even if he refuses to acknowledge it._

_“Okay, I take it back, now I am well and truly impressed. You have so many gifts! It must be amazing!” Tony just blushes a little and shrugs. “Never thought I would be glad to get kidnapped, but I so am. This is the start of a beautiful friendship my darlings.” Ally says with a bright smile. Steve smiles back, having a feeling it really was._  
\----------------------------------  
Steve wakes up to his alarm the next morning, shaking his head to clear the memory he had been reliving in his dreams. It had been the start of a beautiful friendship. Even though she had been the last to join their group, she had fit in fast. Quickly becoming one of them. They had all been inseparable for three years, until they were eighteen and everything went to shit. Now he and Ally were the only ones who even remembered they had known each other as kids. He had gotten the group back together, in order to form the avengers, but it would never be the same. The memories they had shared as kids were just gone, wiped away by a bunch of assholes who never even thought twice about it. He hadn’t had it in himself to invite Allison to join the team, having someone else there to share in his misery would have just made it worse. He knew he owed this to her though, for everything they had been through, for how close they had once been. He sighed and ran a hand through his already messy blonde hair.

It looked like he was going back to the Academy.


	2. Chapter Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyo.  
> Loooong time no see. I had the dream, got inspired, and then completely lost where I wanted this story to go. I think I have the vision back though, so hopefully no more six month breaks.   
> Also, this chapter feels weird to me because I have no idea how to write from a five year old's perspective, and I had a helluva time ending the thing. Hopefully the other ones will be a bit smoother. Anyway hope you enjoy!!!

Steve rolled into the kitchen about an hour later than he usually did, so he wasn’t surprised to find the whole team already there. As one they all turned to give him curious looks, Steve very rarely deviated from his morning routine. He usually got up to run at five, took a quick shower, and then was in the kitchen making the team breakfast by seven. He could count the times on one hand and still have fingers left over that he had deviated from his ritual, and all the others were super villain related. This morning however, he was late for a very different reason, one that he was still feeling nauseous about. He had been packing for his trip to the Academy, he was planning on leaving right after telling the team. He would notify Ally on the way, giving himself less of a chance to get cold feet and change his mind.

“Captain, what is going on! I come in here this morning to no Steve and more importantly no breakfast, and then you roll in fashionably late with a suitcase in tow! Are you leaving us? Don’t go, I promise I’ll be a good boy. Just feed me!” Clint exclaimed as Steve made his way into the kitchen. Steve rolled his eyes at the man’s antics but felt a stab of guilt for not making breakfast. He knew they were all capable of feeding themselves, but he liked taking care of his team. It helped ease some of the guilt he carried about the past.

“I’m not leaving forever Clint, just taking a trip. I got a call from an old friend last night who needs my help. I don’t know how long I will be gone, but Tony will be in charge until I’m back.” Steve explained, hoping against hope they wouldn’t dig any deeper.

“Wait, what?! You have friends that aren’t us? I feel so betrayed; how could you keep this from us? And a surprise vacation to go see them? Hmmmm…very suspicious mon Capitan.” Clint’s electric blue eyes were boring into him, and Steve wondered not for the first time if his superior eyesight literally allowed him to see into other people’s souls.

“She is a friend from back when I was in school, we haven’t even talked in thirteen years. She is a teacher at our old Academy and apparently some kids have been disappearing. I agreed to go and try to help.” Steve was really wishing he had just left without telling the team, he should have called them on the jet like Ally. But he just couldn’t do that, no matter what these people were his family, and he wouldn’t just disappear on them without a word.

“So, some children have gone missing and you are the first person she calls? Why not talk to the school administration, or the Gifted Council even? It seems suspicious, I think we should all go. Just in case it’s a trap.” Natasha says looking up from where she was doing something on her StarkPad. Her eyes were narrowed suspiciously at him, as if trying to find out what he wasn’t telling them.

Steve sighed and scrambled for something to tell them that would prevent them from wanting to come. It would be a risk for them to try to come to the academy with him, as it could bring up the memories that had been repressed and cause them a lot of pain. However, he couldn’t tell them anything about the situation without risking the same thing happening, and they knew him too well for a lie to work.

“You guys have to stay here and protect New York while I’m gone, we can’t just leave it unprotected.” He told them.

“Half of the villain attacks we have nowadays aren’t even located in New York anyway, we have to travel to battles all the time. If something happens Natasha can just bring us back. I mean I don’t care too much if you get your pretty face messed up if it is a trap, but I don’t want to have to be team leader if you die. Plus, I’m curious about what a gifted academy looks like, I’ve never been to one.” This comes from Tony, who was still looking into his coffee, steadfastly refusing to look at Steve. He never looked at Steve anymore, ever since he had joined the team, he always had an air of distaste whenever he had to talk to Steve, unless they were in battle. It was probably the cruelest thing the Gifted council and the Academy had done, not only had they made Tony forget about him and the relationship they shared, but they made it so he hated Steve with a passion. It had taken Steve two years into being on the team with him before he could be in the same room as him without physically breaking down, and it had never gotten easier on his heart. Unlike the rest of the team, Tony had all his memories wiped, he didn’t even remember being gifted. He thought he was just an average everyday genius, billionaire, playboy philanthropist. The council had repressed his gifts so deep inside of him they would never resurface.

However, because Tony was brilliant, in every way imaginable, he had managed to make the iron man suits and become an Avenger without utilizing his gifts. It was both a paradise and a hell for Steve to have to always be around him but know that he wasn’t ever going to be with him in the way they once were. It was a wonder he was still functional with all the grief, sadness, regret, and love, still so much love, being around Tony always caused him.

“Fine, if you guys are coming get a move on, I’m leaving in twenty minutes. Whoever isn’t on board gets left behind.” Steve tells them firmly, then turns on his heel and leaves. He hears them all scramble behind him to go put bags together. Steve presses the icon on his phone that opens the quinjet and quickly begins preparing it for departure. By the time he has done all the engine checks and stowed his things, the rest of the team has joined him. He sighs, he had kind of hoped the twenty-minute deadline would have dissuaded at least a couple of them, but no such luck.

At exactly the twenty-minute mark he takes off, and watches as the launchpad seamlessly blends back into the exterior of the tower. He sets the course for Wyoming and lets the autopilot take it from there. Maybe he would try to take a nap, considering how restless his sleep had been last night. He should also call Ally, but she wasn’t off until four and they would be there long before that. Guess it would just be a surprise.

“So, who is this mysterious friend we are going to help?” Bucky asks from where the team was sitting in the back.

“You’ll find out soon enough won’t you. For now, I’m going back to sleep until we get there, it was a hell of a night.” Steve dismisses him closing his eyes in the pilot’s seat. He hears surprised murmurs from some of the team, but he can’t bring himself to feel bad. It really had been a hell of a night, and the morning wasn’t going much better. He drifts off quickly to the sound of his team talking quietly.

\-------------------------

_Steve was standing quietly in the corner of the classroom watching his classmates run around and laugh together. It was his first day of school at the Montana Gifted Academy, and he was starting in the middle of the year. All the other kids had already made friends and created their own little groups, and didn’t seem inclined to give the scrawny new kid a chance. At five years old, Steve looked more like he was three, deathly thin and shorter than all of the kids his age. He had been sick his whole life up until a few days ago when he had woken up, and for the first time in his short life he was able to breathe without wheezing and his heart didn’t feel like it was going to explode. He had jumped out of bed and ran to his Ma’s room to tell her, and she had promptly taken him to the doctor, convinced it was some sort of calm before another major storm. However, both the doctor and his mother had been baffled to find that he was completely healthy for the first time, no signs of the asthma or other ailments that had plagued him since birth._

_Then came tests, and somehow in the middle of everything, two men in dark suits had come and taken Steve and his mom aside to tell them he was something called a gifted. Gifted people had special abilities, usually they manifested at birth, but sometimes they lay dormant for a while, like they had in Steve. Advanced healing was Steve’s gift, though the men had explained that it was possible he would discover others later on. They insisted he be shipped off to a gifted academy as soon as possible, as it was crucial that the existence of people like him remain a secret. They weren’t messing around either, because the very next day Steve had been on a train to Wyoming._

_He hadn’t even gotten to say a proper goodbye to his Ma it happened so fast, and he didn’t think the men had ever told him who they were. But here he was, five years old and alone, with a thousand miles between him and everything he had known. He had cried a lot the first night he had slept in the unfamiliar bed in an unfamiliar dorm surrounded by boys he didn’t know, but he hadn’t cried since. It had been three nights since he arrived, and now he was finally starting classes, which is how he had found himself in the corner of the room watching the others play._

_All of a sudden he felt someone tap him on the shoulder, and he looked over to see a boy with huge brown eyes and messing brown hair staring down at him. He didn’t remember his name, he hadn’t really been listening when the teacher had them go around the room and introduce themselves to him. They stared at each other for at least a full minute not saying anything, and then the boy grabbed his had and began dragging him across the room. Steve was so surprised that he just kind of let it happen for a minute before digging his feet to stop them._

_“What’re you doin’. Come on.” The boy said, trying unsuccessfully to keep dragging Steve. “You gotta weigh like 2 pounds how come I can’t move ya.” He whined._

_“I don’t even know you, why’re you draggin me. I ain’t goin anywhere.” Steve replied. “And it ain’t nice to tell people they don’t weigh much.”_

_“Well it’s better than callin you fat. We are gonna play robots, come ooooonnnnnn.” The boy whined more, still tugging on Steve._

_“I don’t know you, why am I gonna play robots with ya when you just keep tryna drag me round.” Steve tugged his hand out of the boy’s and crossed his arms._

_“My name is Tony. Tony Stark. I just wanted to be nice cause you looked sad in the corner. But if you don’t wanna play that's fine I guess.” Tony pouted a little and turned around to walk away, Steve reached out and grabbed him._

_“Wait! Sorry, I was sick a whole lot when I was little and so I never had a friend before. I wanna play though!” Steve exclaimed, he didn’t want to lose the only chance he might get at having a friend._

_“Oh ok, that’s okay. Come on then I have lots of cool robots we can play with.” Tony babbled, and this time Steve let himself be dragged, listening to Tony talk about all of his robots and his favorite ways to play with them._

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Hey Cap, we are landing in five minutes,” someone said into his ear, clapping him on the shoulder to wake him up. Steve opened his eyes and shook himself awake a little. He and Tony had been inseparable after that first day he had been kidnapped to play robots. Up until they were eighteen and his whole life went to shit that is. Fuck, they hadn’t even landed and the memories were already haunting him more than they had in years.

He had a job to do though, and he hoped that as long as he could focus on that he would be okay. He had his doubts though, as the quinjet gently touched the ground and the knot in his stomach tripled in size. He took a few deep breaths to prepare himself and then opened the back of the jet. The sight that greeted him was achingly familiar, the academy hadn’t changed at all. He swallowed the bile in his throat and got to his feet. It was time for him to finally face his past it seemed.

This was going to be a long damn mission.


End file.
